Golf club



Dec. 28, 1948. M. B. REAH 2,457,17 7

GOLF CLUB Filed Ot. 17, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MIL Taw' B. REflC/ B. REACH GOLF CLUB Dec. 28, 1948.

2 Sheets-Sheef 2 Filed O t. 17, 1944 L ToN B. REHCH,

control of the c'l'ub' head as ist communes l Patented Dec. 28, 1948 club head appr'oache's the' ball *aud-zurmg mpact therewith. A

Other objects 'and :features of *the nvetcn will be more apparent as the ,presenfi disclosure .proceeds -and upon considera/tion 'of th'e accom panying -drawings and-the ollowng detailed description wherein an exemplar-y lemb'odiment 'of the invention is diselosed.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 -is -a da'grammatic view 'zillusatfating' the manner in which .a golf club :sha'ft -o'f anordinary type is distortedduri-ng theear1y"'stages "f a swing.

Fg. 2 s -a similar view-shown g 17he manner in whichthe-shaft of a -conventonal 'club is=distor'ted as the club head approaches-*the' bal-1 "co dslocate the club head with-respecta to the' ball.

Fig. 3 s a dagrammatic'- 'view -illustratmg :a golf club constructed in accordancewith 'the present nventon wherei-n the shaf-t s -mmo'bllized n the area adjacent the head 'of the club.

Fl'g. 4 is a perspectiv'e view of a ,golf club -shaft embodying the presen't invention.

' Fig. 5 s'a side'eleational-view 'partly 'm .section of that porto'n of 'the shaft ndcate'd at 5 n Fg. 4.

Fig. 6 is a side eleva' tonal' vew of 'that 'portion of the-shaft' desgnated 3113 6 'in Fg. 4. y

Fg. "l is mfrag'nientarside ele'vat'inal view of' the porton of the sha'ft shown 'at T 'n Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is an elevat'onal view of the "hosel *or stem'of 'the clb head 'and shdwing the l'owerend of che shaf-t 'inse'ction Fig. 9 is a se'cti'onal--view df the 'conn'ecfiion 'between 'the 'hosel and the 'shaft-, and tken 'on *the line 94-9 ofiFig. '8.

golf ball by as much as ten yards in a two hundred and twenty-five yard drive. Thus, if the mobility of the head area throws the nose of the club in faster than the heel portion, a pronounced hook results. The mobility of the club also results in the loft being changed and the expected or anticipated distance resultant from the choice of a particular club is upset. The golf club shaft should be so constructed as to provide for some mobility of the club head, and this is desirable for providing a cushioning effect under impact, but expert golfers who have contributed such low scoring records have had to forego the pleasing attribute of cushioning in favor of stiffness of' the shaft so as to obtain the necessary accuracy. Moreover if the mobility of the club head is great it is easily defiected from its initial impact angle during the flattening of the ball by the Under this circumstance, if the torclub face. sional energy thus stored in the shaft is concentrated so that the shaft quickly unwinds and swings the club head back to or beyond its initial impact angle during the expansion of the ball before it leaves the club face, a tendency to hook or slice is apt to be imparted to the ball by the mobility of the club head during the impact therewith.

The present invention provides for a reduction in the mobility of the club head area without depriving the shaft of the fiexibility necessary for nice feel or proper control of the fiight of the ball. It will be observed that the shaft is distorted in Fig. 2 as the club head is about to engage the ball, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a golf club shaft with such characteristics that the club head moves into engagement With the ball without relative displacement of the club head from the aXis of the adjacent portion of the shaft to thereby obtain the intended direction of fiight of the ball and the intended loft for the particular club that is being used.

These objects are obtained in general by stiffening that portion of the shaft adjacent the hosel or the club head and shiiting the greatest point of fiexibility upwardly along the shaft to a position more intermediate the ends of the shaft. In an exemplary embodiment the area of the greatest fiexibility of the shaft is not less than six inches from the sole of the club head.

The shaft starting from each end has approximately equal diameters, and the diameter of the shaft is progressively reduced proceeding from each end, meeting in a relatively' small diameter waist section.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown at Io a golf club head which for the purpose of illustration is shown as being of the iron type. The connection between the club head and a shaft exhibiting the present invention may be of any type, and in the embodiment illustrated this union is provided by means of an internal hosel connection. The hosel II is aocordingly reduced in diameter to provide a shoulder I3 and a stem 12 of a smaller diameter than the hosel H. The diameter of the stem 2 is preferably such that When the lower end 22 of a hollow metallic shaft is arranged thereon the diameter of the lower end portion of the shaft will be substantially equal to the portion I of the hosel. This arrangement provides for a symmetrical joint between the hosel and the shaft. p The stem l2 is provided with longitudinally extending grooves M which may be arranged at diametrically opposite points, as shown nFig.

10. The inner surface of the lower end portion 22 of the hollow shaft is provided with inwardly projecting lugs IB which are adapted to engage the stem l2 within the grooves 4 as the hosel is introduced into the hollow shaft. The lugs IG may be formed by indenting the shaft around openings for a retaining pin or rivet Il which extends through the stem I 2 and the shaft. The pin or rivet H may be swedged at the ends to provide substantially flat rivet heads which are seated within the depressions which form the inwardly projecting lugs 6. The rivet heads are thus flush with the peripheral surface of the shaft. The lugs or depressed rivet seats IG engage the stem 2 within the grooves M and accordingly remove any shearing strains from the rivet I'l. The depressed lugs IG also provide indentations for receiving the heads of the rivets I'l and thus provide a symmetrical appearance for the exterior of a union between the shaft and the hosel.

The general Organization of the shaft is illustrated n Fig. 4 and it will be observed from a consideration thereof that the lower end portion 22 of the shaft vis of a diameter corresponding substantially to that of the hosel II, and in an exemplary embodiment of the invention the diameter of the portion 22 of the shaft is approximately one-half inch. The shaft is provided with a handle portion 23 having a suitable hand grip covering thereon. The shaft providing the handle, and particularly the portion 24 may also be approximately ofone-half inch in diameter, and therefore corresponds substantially to* the diameter of the lower end portion 22.' The shaft in proceeding from each of. the end portions 22 and 24 is progressively reduced in diameter to provide a waist section 26 which is spaced from the sole of the club by a distance not less than six inches from the sole of the club.

The shaft may be formed of tubular metal having a gauge of about .030 inch, and the shaft in proceeding upwardly from the lower end portion 22 may be reduced in diameter in five reduction steps of approximately .075 inch each. The outs'ide diamcter of the portion 27 of the shaft may therefore be about three-eighths of an inch. The portion 27 of the shaft terminates at the point indicated at 28 and another portion 29 of the shaft fits within the section 27, as shown in Fig. 5. The section 21 thus telescopes over the section 29, andthese two portions of the shaft may be joined in any suitable manner, such as by a welding or solde'ring operation; The length of the waist section 26 may therefore be adjusted prior to the Welling operation by Varying the position of the section 29 within the section 21.

The length of the waist section 26 may be further adjusted by altering the length of sections 3! and 32.' The length of the waist section 26 may vary between one and one-half inches and six inches, depending upon the type of club on which the shaft is used In a niblick type club the'waist section 26 of the shaft may be shorter than in a mid-iron or driving iron shaft..

The shaft increases in diameter from the section 25 to the section 24, and this increase in the shaft diameter may be accomplished by means of a plurality of sections which are progressively of larger diameter. The section 33 of 'the club may have an outside diameter of'approximately seven-sixteenths of an inch and eX- tend -throughout ;a=length of' approximately two and one-half inches and then. enlarge to the diameter of the section 24 adjacent the handle of the club.

The golf club shaft thus provides a structure wherein the walls of the shaft are of a diameter to provide an area adjacent the hosel substantially equal to the diameter of the hosel and ex tending upwardly for a distance at least equaling the length of the hosel member, and thereafter reduced to its minimum diameter by a taper so gradual as to produce a relatively stiff area for a distance of not less than six inches from the sole of the club head 0. This relatively stiff portion of the shaft prevents pronounced bending of the shaft in the area adjacent the club head and thereby stabilizes the club head during the swinging of the club, and particularly as the club head moves into engagement with the ball. Thus When the Wrists are snapped and the club head is accelerated in approaching the ball, the face of the club head does not become dislocated and is maintained in a position to impart the desired trajectory to the ball as it leaves the face or" the club head. Moreover, since the torsional inertia of the club head somewhat augznented by the stifiening of the adjacent portion of the shaft, the tendency of the club head to defiect and restore during the interval of impact is reduced. In addition as the torsional Stress applied through the stiffened section to the waist section finds there a section of minimum diameter and greatest flexibility of considerable axial extent, the torsional stress does not concentrate at any part of that section, but spreads progressively therein. This renders the tendency of the shaft to unwind from its torqued condition somewhat,

"lazy" The added torsional inertia and lazy action of the distributed torque Storage, in cooperation with each other, tend to reduce the degree of club head deflection and retard the speed at which the club head swings back toward its angle of initial impact after defiection, and thus tend to minimize any tendency thereof to contribute in imparting hook or slice to the ball.

While the invention has been described With reference to specific structural details of the connection between the shaft and the club head and with regard to a shaft of a particular type, it will be appreciated that changes may be made in all of the features. Such modifications may be made Without departing from the Spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tubular steel golf club shaft having an elongated cylindrical waist Zone of uniform wall thickness, and of minimum diameter and maximum flexibility relative to the balance of the shaft, the shaft progressively increasing in diameter from one end of said Zone to its head-end be a series of cylindrical sections, that of largest diameter being of a size enabling it, in a club assembly, to telescope over the hosel of a club head, and the shaft further including a portion forming a continuation of the opposite end of the waist zone including a plurality of cylindrical sections of progressively increasing diameters, the end section being of a size and length to constitute a foundation for a grip element.

2. A tubular steel golf club shaft progressively tapering from its grip and head ends by a series of stepped cylindrical sections of decreasing diameter to the opposite ends of an elongated cylindrical waist section, said waist section in respect to the balance of the shaft being of minimum diameter and maximum fiexibility, the head end of the tubular shaft being cylindrical and of a size enabling it, in a club assembly, to telescope on the hosel of a club head, and the grip end of the tubular shaft being non-stepped throughout a distance at least substantially equal in length to that of a grip element.

3. A shaft as recited in claim 2 in which the Zone of relatively minimum diameter and maximum fiexibility is spaced so that in a club assembly it lies not less than six inches from the club head sole.

4. A tubular steel golf club shaft having an elongated cylindrical section of minimum diameter relative to the balance of the shaft and of uniform wall thickness and constituting an elongated waist section of maximum flexibility i relative to the balance of the shaft, said shaft having a head section of elongated cylindrical form, larger than that of said waist section and of a size enabling it, in a club assembly, to tele- Scope on the hosel of a club head, said head section being' connected to the adjacent end of said waist section by a third section, made up of a plurality of stepped cylindrical portions, and said tubular shaft having a fourth section of increasing diameter extending from the opposite end of the uniform diameter waist section and further having therebeyond a grip section at least equal in diameter to the maximum diameter of said fourth section and of a length at least substantially equal to the length of a golf club grip.

5. A tubular steel golf club shaft having head and grip sections of maximum diameter and of elongated substantially cylindrical form, said shaft having a waist section of materially smaller diameter than said head and grip sections and of elongated cylindrical form, said head section being connected to one end of said elongated cylindrical waist section by a section comprising a series of stepped cylindrical portions of decreasing diameter, and said grip section being connected to the other end of said elongated cylindrical waist section by another section of progressively decreasing diameter.

MILTON B. BEACH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,529,305 Gatke Mar. 1'0, 1925 1,997,853 Buhrke et al. Apr. 16, 1935 2,001,643 Wilcox May 14, 1935 2,086,275 Lemmon July 6, 19 3'7 2,250,428 Vickery July 22, 1941 2,264,035 Birkhofer Nov. 25, 1941 

